Croque-monsieur
A classic of French "street food" or bistros: a slice of ham between two slices of bread spread with béchamel sauce. The sandwich is then sprinkled with cheese and toasted in the oven.
263 K 4.2/5 (44 reviews)
50 min.
Easy
6 Croque-monsieurs
4 IngredientsLast modified on: August 1st 2010
For 6 Croque-monsieurs, you will need:
- 1
12 slices sandwich bread - 2
3 slices ham - 3
250 g bechamel sauce - 4
150 g grated cheese - Total weight: 1,030 grams
Change these quantities to make:
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 25 min.
Cooking: 25 min.
All in all: 50 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 5 min.
Begin by cutting the crusts off 12 slices sandwich bread.
Stage 2 - 5 min.
Cut 3 slices ham to the size of the bread slices.
Stage 3 - 5 min.
Lightly fry the slices of ham in a very hot pan for just a few seconds on each side.
Stage 4 - 5 min.
Spread béchamel sauce on 2 slices of bread (tip: use a broad-bladed knife or palette knife).
Place a piece of ham on top of the sauce on one slice of bread.
Place a piece of ham on top of the sauce on one slice of bread.
Stage 5 - 5 min.
Then put the other slice of bread on the ham and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Stage 6 - 1 min.
Stage 7
If you are making several croque-monsieurs, it is worth setting up a production line, i.e. spread béchamel sauce on all the bread, then arrange all the slices of ham, etc. This is much faster than doing one at a time.
Stage 8
Once all your croque-monsieurs are assembled, put the baking sheet into a hot oven.
Stage 9 - 20 min.
Cook for about twenty minutes, watching carefully for colouring.
You can put them under the grill to brown if necessary at the end.
You can put them under the grill to brown if necessary at the end.
Stage 10
Serve hot or warm if possible, with a green salad for example.
Remarks
You can use whatever ham you prefer; I find that it's best with smoked ham, but it's a matter of taste. The same goes for the cheese. Gruyère, or even better Comté, will give you the best croque-monsieur.
yYu can cut the left-over crusts into small pieces and fry them in a little clarified butter or oil, to make small croutons which are great for adding to salads, for example.
yYu can cut the left-over crusts into small pieces and fry them in a little clarified butter or oil, to make small croutons which are great for adding to salads, for example.
Source: Home-made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 460 RDI=180 % | 2,140 RDI=200 % | 440 RDI=70 % | 2,670 RDI=130 % | 11,170 RDI: 130 % |
| Per 100 g | 40 RDI=20 % | 210 RDI=20 % | 40 RDI=6 % | 260 RDI=10 % | 1,090 RDI: 10 % |
| Per piece | 80 RDI=30 % | 360 RDI=30 % | 70 RDI=10 % | 440 RDI=20 % | 1,860 RDI: 20 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 6 Croque-monsieurs : 4.75 €
- Per Croque-monsieur : 0.80 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Bechamel sauce
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Spinach on toast with bechamel, Gratin "grilled inside", Mornay Sauce, Spiced butternut gratin, Scallops au gratin, ... See them all 31
Grated cheese
Like these other recipes: Thin endive tart, Stuffed tomatoes and courgettes, Spinach and hard-boiled egg gratin, Gratin of chicken with rice and sautéed mushrooms, Moussaka, ... See them all 73
Sandwich bread
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Comtoise apple charlotte, Chicken club sandwich, Genoese croque-monsieur, Eggs Benedict , Grilled cheese, ... See them all 9
Ham
Like these other recipes: Involtinis, Croque-monsieur potatoes, Frichti from Bruxelles, Purple artichokes in a cheesy gratin, Welsh (French Welsh Rarebit), ... See them all 30
Other recipes you may also like
Almond cream or frangipane
Light and delicious, it is used in a lot of desserts like tarts, cakes and pies (epiphany galette).January 23th 2022463 K 25 45 min.
Celeriac Rémoulade
A classic recipe of traditional French bistro cooking (winter salad).December 21th 2020408 K5 20 min.
Epiphany galette
Here is the recipe for the very classic but delicious "galette des rois" (Epiphany galette) in puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée) with almond cream or frangipane . You will also see some professional tips to easily handle the dough, and obtain a nice and regular galette.January 1st 2025297 K 24.5 3 hours 8 min.
Flambéd bananas
The trick of this recipe is to end up with bananas caramelised on the outside, still firm on the inside, coated with a tasty syrup which is not 95% butter.February 21th 2011332 K 14 40 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-07-06)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.